


Downfall

by phoenixreal



Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Doctors & Physicians, Hallucinations, M/M, Mental Institutions, Non-Consensual Bondage, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Rape, Rape Recovery, Schizophrenia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-06-08
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:48:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 20,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24493012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phoenixreal/pseuds/phoenixreal
Summary: Alt Universe: Ryuu Shirosaki is a new psychiatrist at Las Noches Psychiatric Rehabilitation Center. He's hoping the move has been a good one. His first day, though, he's handed the toughest patient, one with severe paranoid delusions and violent tendencies. When he meets him, though, he senses no malice or ill will, and finds it curious. He wonders if there's more going on at the Center than people believe.
Relationships: Aizen Sousuke/Kurosaki Ichigo, Hollow Ichigo | Zangetsu/Grimmjow Jaegerjaques/Kurosaki Ichigo, Hollow Ichigo | Zangetsu/Kurosaki Ichigo
Comments: 34
Kudos: 52





	1. First Day

**Author's Note:**

> Fic request by Suki Kuran! Thanks for the plot bunny!

Dr. Ryuu Shirosaki, or Shiro as everyone called him, was exotic looking to say the least. His skin was a smooth, nearly white color, and his hair was a pallor to match. His eyes were unusual, and no one really knew why, even though he’d asked doctors over the years, no one could explain it. The iris was gold in color, and his sclera were black. Most people thought he wore some kind of contacts, but the effect was natural. He didn’t have parents to ask, having been a foster kid as long as he could remember. So, he just put it off to being one of his eccentricities.

He was starting a new job today at the Las Noches Psychiatric Rehabilitation Center. He’d actually moved to Las Noches, California for this job, so he was hoping it had been a good choice for him. He’d been a psychiatrist for about five years already and was nearly thirty years old. He walked into the building and past the security checkpoint to the front desk. There was a woman with long reddish blonde hair and big gray eyes who looked up at him.

“Can I help you?” she asked, and Shiro’s eye fell on the name plaque. Orihime Inoue.

“Yeah, today’s my first day. Dr. Shirosaki,” he said, nodding at her.

“Oh! Of course! Dr. Aizen said you were starting today, please, this way,” she said and indicated the door beside the desk. “I’ll get your security badges and passes set up for you by lunch today. Did they already take your picture for your ID badge?”

“They didn’t,” Shiro said as he looked around the small reception office. There was not much in it other than the desk that faced the front behind the plexiglass and her chair.

“Alright, I’ll have Ms. Arisawa take care of that,” she said, smiling and reaching for the phone. “Ms. Arisawa?” There was a pause. “We have Dr. Shirosaki here. He needs to get his credentials.” Another pause. “Okay, thank you!”

She put down the phone and the door opened in the back of the room, revealing a woman with short black hair. She nodded to Shiro. “Dr. Shirosaki. We’ve been expecting you,” she said, holding out her hand.

Shiro shook it. “Yeah, thanks. Good to be here.”

“I’m Tatsuki Arisawa. If you’ll come with me, I’ll get everything in order and get you out to the floor by after lunch.”

Shiro went with her and was shown to another office where he was given a stack of paperwork and a seat. He went through it all, taking his time to fill out everything, and then she had him take a picture, and in a few minutes handed him an ID badge. By the time they were all done with everything, it was indeed lunchtime.

“Did you bring anything with you, or will you be eating in our cafeteria?” Tatsuki asked as they exited her office.

“I figured if I was going to be working here, I should get used to eating here,” he shrugged.

“Alright, come with me, then,” she said, leading him out of the hallway into a large cafeteria.

There were several tables, each with four to six chairs at them. Around those tables, there were what he assumed were patients by the matching blue pajama-looking outfits they wore. They each had a tray and everything was incredibly quiet. There looked to be about seven or eight patients spread out around the room. At the very back, there was a table where it was obvious the doctors and other workers were sitting. He recognized Dr. Aizen from the interview, and the man to his left with fine, silver colored hair. Gin Ichimaru, he though was his name. He was the director’s assistant.

“Hello everyone,” Tatsuki said as they approached. “I have our new doctor, Dr. Shirosaki.”

Dr. Aizen looked up. “Ah, you did make it in. I trust you haven’t been overly bored by the mundane paperwork.”

“It’s not too bad,” Shiro said, smiling as he glanced around the table. There were a couple other doctors and a few nurses and techs from what he guessed.

“Well, I’ll introduce you. You met my assistant, Gin, when you interviewed,” he said, indicating the silver haired man who smiled back at him. For some reason, that smile left Shiro cold. “And this is Coyote Starrk, our psychiatric tech senior staff, Dr. Louisenbairn, our senior staff doctor, and Ms. Harribel, our nurse’s senior staff. The man down the table with pink hair is Dr. Granz. You’ll be our third on hand doctor, not including myself.” Shiro nodded to each of them as they were introduced.

“Nice to meet you all.” He noted a few lingering looks, but no one stared openly. But then, he supposed they were all professionals.

“Get yourself lunch and come sit down,” Dr. Aizen said.

“Come on,” Tatsuki said, gesturing for him to follow her.

Lunch went as expected, with small talk and no real information passing about each of his coworkers. He didn’t expect to learn much about them in an open environment. Especially not with the patients around. The food was good for a place like this, he thought, so that was nice. Sometimes the food at hospitals and centers was less than edible, but this was actually better than most. After he was done, he sat and waited to see what he would be given to do.

“Dr. Shirosaki, if you’ll come with me, I’ll get your patients’ files so you can go over them and possibly meet with them today. We’ve got a small group right now, but that can always change at a moment’s notice,” Dr. Aizen said, rising and nodding to him.

Shiro followed him back to his office and sat down at his desk while he turned behind him to the file cabinet.

“Now, everything is digital, but we have hard copies in here just because I’m rather a luddite and like things done the old way,” Dr. Aizen said as he handed Shiro a couple file folders. “I’m only assigning you two patients to start with, but fair warning, one of them is a handful.”

Shiro nodded and picked up the top file. Riruka Dokugamine. Diagnosis of bipolar depression with a history of self-harm and one suicide attempt. She was currently in the center after a bad lapse into depression recently. She had been suicidal but had not attempted yet. He set it aside and picked up the second file. Ichigo Kurosaki. Diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia with both auditory and visual hallucinations. He was currently inpatient after a violent incident involving the police that sent him back. He was currently not expected to be released anytime soon due to a habit of violent outbursts at each of his past doctors.

“Oh, I see, the Kurosaki patient. I can handle a violent patient, though,” Shiro said with confidence.

“I wouldn’t be so sure; he’s had bad reactions to both Dr. Granz and Dr. Louisenbairn. We’re hoping a new face will help, but we can’t be sure,” Dr. Aizen said with a sad look on his face. “So far, I’m the only one who has been able to work with him for any amount of time.”

Shiro, though, was more interested in what was in the file. He’d worked with paranoid schizophrenics before. Something, though, wasn’t quite right about the file, and he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. He frowned, scanning the latest SOAP notes from the therapists that had worked with him, and was intrigued. He grinned. A puzzle for him to solve, he thought to himself as he nodded and put down the file.

“Don’t worry, Doc Aizen,” Shiro said. “I can handle myself. I’m a black belt in my spare time, so I know how to take a hit if it comes to that.”

“Oh, well, that should be handy,” Dr. Aizen said. “Let’s take you to meet them, then,” he stood up and motioned for him to follow along.

Shiro got up and followed him out the door and down the hall to where the patients’ rooms were. He knocked lightly on one and opened it. Sitting in the chair by the window was a woman with pink pigtailed hair. She looked up as they came in.

“Dr. Aizen!” she said, smiling at them.

“Hello Riruka. I’d like you to meet your new doctor. This is Dr. Shirosaki. He’ll be working with you from now on,” he told her.

“Hi, there, Riruka. Nice to meet you,” Shiro said.

She looked at him and nodded. “You seem nice. I hope you can help. I’ve been doing a lot of bad thinking lately.”

“Bad thinking?” Shiro asked.

“Um hum. You know, about ending things. Luckily, I can’t do anything in here, but the thoughts are hard to get rid of,” she sighed, looking out the window briefly. “But maybe you can help some.”

“Well, I certainly hope so,” Shiro said with a gentle smile.

“We’re off to see Ichigo, next,” Aizen said.

“Oh, good luck. He couldn’t even go to lunch today. He’s been in a bad mood,” Riruka said and waved at them as they left.

“Ichigo gets violent and sometimes has to be restrained to his bed,” Aizen explained as they walked down the hall to another room. Aizen knocked on it gently and opened it.

“Ichigo? It’s Dr. Aizen and someone new for you to meet,” Aizen said as they entered the room.

Shiro came into the room and saw a patient with bright orange hair. He was restrained to the bed with wrist and ankle ties. He looked over with a scowl across his brows and growled out loud at Aizen.

“Well, I see you’re in a mood,” Aizen said, sighing. “This is your new doctor, Dr. Shirosaki. From today on, he’ll be working with you instead of me.”

He turned his head away and jerked on the wrist restraints. Shiro frowned, walking over to the bed slowly. “Hi, Ichigo. You can call me Shiro if you want, everyone does,” he said.

Ichigo turned deep brown eyes on him and Shiro was struck by the fire in those eyes. There was something in them that wasn’t dampened by whatever drugs he was being given. It was breathtaking. Shiro swallowed and smiled anyway, trying to put away his own swell of emotions. He was the doctor here; he shouldn’t be having such a visceral reaction to a patient.

“I just wanted to introduce myself today,” Shiro explained. He turned to Aizen. “Can we untie him?”

Aizen arched a brow. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea right now.”

“Well, he’s been medicated by now. I doubt he’d be a danger. He seems pretty calm,” Shiro looked at him, noting that Ichigo’s eyes followed him carefully. He looked at Ichigo. “Would you like to be released?”

Ichigo nodded at him, eyes barely blinking. Shiro walked over and started untying the ankle restraints, watching for any sign that he was going to be kicked. Instead, Ichigo only pulled his legs together and continued to watch Shiro as he untied his hands. Then, before Shiro could react, he moved. He’d reached out with both hands and grabbed Shiro by the shoulders and slammed him back into the wall in one smooth move.

“Orderly, to Ichigo’s room,” Aizen said into his walkie talkie.

“No, no, it’s okay,” Shiro said, letting Ichigo stare at him.

He had his hands clutched on Shiro’s biceps, tight enough to hurt quite a bit. His eyes were wide and staring, but Shiro didn’t sense any malice from him. No, this close, he didn’t sense intention to harm, as strange as it was in this position. The door opened and Ichigo glanced over toward it. Shiro saw a hulking man standing there, and he sensed Ichigo’s fear ramping up at his presence.

“Ichigo, don’t look at them. Concentrate on me,” Shiro said calmly.

“Give him a minute, Yammy,” Aizen said quietly, motioning to the new arrival to stay where he was.

Ichigo looked at Shiro again, locking eyes with him but not letting go at all. Shiro was wondering what exactly he was being given if he was still this able to move under his own power. Either that, or drugs just didn’t work like they should on him. He knew that not every patient reacted the same way to drugs. Sometimes, their mental issues simply overpowered the effects of the drugs they were given. Shiro smiled at him again.

“Look, Ichigo. We’re going to be working together, starting today. I’d like it if we could be friends.”

Ichigo tilted his head to the side and whispered, “Friends?”

“Friends,” Shiro repeated. “Can you let me go now?”

Ichigo hesitated a few minutes, and Shiro could feel the tension in the room. He knew that this orderly, Yammy, had probably dealt with Ichigo in the past. There was a definite reaction to his presence. Shiro wanted to avoid being attached to him in any way.

Suddenly, Ichigo stepped back, crossing his arms over his chest and staring at the floor. Shiro relaxed a little and stepped forward, keeping about a food distance between them. “There, now. Why don’t you sit down, and we’ll talk?”

Shiro waved at Aizen and Yammy, hoping they got the idea that he wanted to try and work with him while things were going well.

“Here,” Aizen said, handing him the walkie talkie. “If you need anything, just call for assistance.”

Shiro nodded, taking it without looking at Aizen. Shiro had glanced over the hallucinations he had. The paperwork had said he had persecution thoughts, as though everyone was out to get him. He believed that people were trying to come after him, and he did everything to protect himself. His delusions led him to think that there were a group of people specifically looking for him, and he fully believed they had infiltrated the psychiatric center.

Ichigo backed up and sat down on the bed, still staring at the floor with his arms crossed. He was still breathing heavily, so he was obviously still feeling scared of something.

“I hope you can talk to me, Ichigo. I’m serious about wanting to be your friend.”

“No friends,” Ichigo shook his head. “They all abandoned me when they started looking for me.”

“Who is looking for you, Ichigo?” Shiro asked, sitting down on the bed beside him.

“Them!” he nearly shouted, turning and staring at Shiro with wide eyes. “They want to kill me. I don’t know why; they just do.”

“I see. What can I do to help?” Shiro asked.

Ichigo blinked and stared at him. “Help?”

“Yes, I’d like to help.”

“No one can help. They come at night,” he turned forward and rubbed his hands up his arms. “I can’t move, and they laugh at me and I can’t stop them!”

“So, they only come at night? Is everything okay here during the day?” Shiro asked, watching him carefully.

“Most the time. But I know they’re here! They’re watching me, and I can’t get away from them,” he whispered the last.

Shiro put an arm around him and found he suddenly leaned into him. He swallowed and knew that he wanted to help him. But how? Obliviously, the delusions were very real to him. So, the question was, if meds weren’t working for him, how to break those illusions?

Shiro spent the next two hours with Ichigo. There was no real substance to the discussion. Mostly, they talked about his pursuers. Ichigo told him about how they came to him during the night and how there was nothing he could do. He said that every time they came to him, his body would freeze up and he couldn’t scream for help anymore, and they would do terrible things to him. He wouldn’t (or couldn’t) tell him what those terrible things were, just that they were terrible. He then left him, leaving him untied and able to move around. Ichigo slowly came out and went to sit in the common room with the others for the rest of the afternoon.

Aizen found him as he was getting ready to leave. “You seem to have made some connections with Ichigo. Very good. The only other person he really talks to is an orderly named Yasutora Sado. Ichigo calls him Chad for some reason.”

“Well, hopefully, it laid some groundwork for the future,” Shiro smiled.

“Indeed, I hope so too,” Aizen said and went back into the facility.

Shiro couldn’t shake the feeling, though, that something was wrong. He kept thinking of the utter conviction that Ichigo spoke with about how things happened to him at night. Surely, they had cameras and kept an eye on the patients all night to make sure there were no problems. Surely.

-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-

Ichigo watched the clock. It was after dinner and everyone was sitting in the common room together just watching tv, reading, or coloring. Ichigo had a coloring book himself and was working on a picture of kittens playing. He was nervous because the later it got, the more likely someone was going to come after him.

“Ichigo!” he heard. He looked up to see it was Shūkurō Tsukishima. Ichigo knew he was also delusional.

“What is it?” he asked.

“What are you doing?” Tsukishima said as he sat down beside Ichigo.

“Coloring.” He didn’t look up. His kittens were blue and orange.

“Okay,” Tsukishima said and then got up and wandered off. He never talked much.

He was almost finished when Riruka came and looked over his shoulder. “It’s so cute!” she nearly squealed.

Ichigo smiled. She loved cute things, almost as much as Chad. In fact, this picture was going to be for Chad.

“I got a new doctor today,” she said, sitting down at the table.

“Me too,” he said.

“Did you get in trouble with him already?” she asked.

“No, actually. I think I might like him,” Ichigo put the finishing touches on the picture and smiled, sitting up and looking at it. Chad was working tonight.

“Well, that’s good.” She smiled and then got up to go find something else to do.

Time seemed to skip, and Mila Rose came by with the night meds. He looked up at her and thought she was quite attractive with her full, black hair and her dark skin. It was quite the contrast to the new doctor he had today with his nearly white skin. Ichigo stared at the little cup and then took the pills and the water she handed him. He didn’t even fight it tonight. What was the use?

He knew they drugged him so he couldn’t fight back. That was the whole point of the medicine they gave him, and he knew it. He tried cheeking it, but it didn’t work because they figured it out, and if they did, they’d end up giving him the shots and he hated those worse than the pills. They made his head spin even worse. After a while, he looked up to see Chad.

“Chad!” he exclaimed.

“Hi, Ichigo. It’s time for bed,” he said gently.

“Look, this is for you!” Ichigo said, grabbing the picture of the kittens and handing it to him.

“Oh, that’s very lovely. I like it a lot. Thank you,” he said, smiling. “Now, let’s be a good patient and go to bed without any trouble. I heard you had a hard morning.”

Ichigo frowned. “I won’t be any trouble tonight.”

“Good,” he said as he led Ichigo to his room.

The room loomed in front of him. It was the site of his torment, and he couldn’t get anyone to believe him. Not even the new doctor really believed him even though he told him everything. What more did he have to do to get people to understand him? He didn’t know. All he knew was that he was getting tired of fighting it every day. Even the kind and gentle Chad didn’t believe him. He just wanted to go home.

“When can I leave, Chad?” Ichigo asked as he got into the room and went to the dresser to get pajamas.

“When you get better, Ichigo. You know that.” Chad was always direct with him.

“But how can I get better if they keep giving me drugs?” Ichigo asked, changing quickly into his night clothes.

“The drugs are there to help you, Ichigo. Not harm you.”

“But you don’t understand, they give me things and then come at night and torment me!” he said, turning and looking at him with exasperation.

“I know you believe that,” Chad said. “That’s why you’re here, remember?”

Ichigo remembered keenly why he was here. It started when he was about twenty. That was when the people started coming for him, and that was when he started running. After running from them several times and being picked up and taken home by the police, he started fighting them off. Then everything went crazy and they put him in a hospital. For a while, he thought he could escape them, but in the end, they found him. He’d run away again, escaping the hospital, because if they got to him, they might hurt someone else, and he wouldn’t have anyone else hurt because of him. He had to stay away from home especially because of his two sisters and his father. They couldn’t find him there because they might get hurt.

Now, almost eight years later, he was still fighting _them_. Only, now they had him where they wanted him. He couldn’t run. He couldn’t get away. He was all alone and no one would listen to him.

“Goodnight, Ichigo,” Chad said as he settled into bed.

He watched Chad leave and the door close behind him. As it did, he felt his heart speed up in his chest. Would they come tonight, or would they let him be? He never knew when they would come for sure, but he knew that eventually they would come. He floated, the meds making him sleepy, and then fell into a deep slumber.

The pinch in his arm woke him. He was blindfolded again. They were here!

“Easy,” the smooth and familiar voice said. “It’ll be over soon. I promise, I’ll take care of you, Ichigo.”

He let out a muffled yell because he was gagged too. He yanked on his arms, finding they were tied down. His legs were free, though, so he kicked, only to have his feet caught easily. He whimpered as he felt the hands on his body. _No_ , he thought. _Anything but this again_.

“Hush, now. Be a good boy. That should take effect nicely here in a moment,” the voice said.

Ichigo panted and felt tears squeezing out of his eyes, wetting the blindfold. He did feel better in a few minutes. His head was floating, and he almost didn’t notice his pants and underwear being removed. Almost. He jerked when he felt someone touch him, then whined as fingers pressed into his body. He had not strength in his legs, so he just laid there as he felt himself spread wider and a body take place between his legs. A second, then he arched as the person thrust hard into him. _No_ , he thought. _Please stop_. But it didn’t matter, because it didn’t stop. Not until the person was finished with him. It always too forever, the sensation of being taken like this filling him with dread and hatred for himself.

“There, now, that wasn’t so bad, was it?”

He shook his head violently, trying to shake it away. Then the blindfold was removed and so was the gag. He panted openly, feeling his heart pound in his chest. He kept his eyes closed, though. Because maybe they would just go away when he wasn’t looking. There was another pinch in his arm, and he turned his head, cracking his eyes open, seeing two figures in the dark. The second one looked familiar and stood in front of the door, arms crossed, eyes hard. The first brushed a hand over his head and Ichigo’s eyes just would not focus on him enough to tell any features.

“You’re just the perfect subject, you know? I can’t tell you how glad I am to have you here,” the voice said.

“Aren’t you afraid someone’s gonna figure this out?” the other, gruffer, voice said.

“No. He’s told everyone already what happens here. No one believes it is anything but his own delusions of persecution and paranoia. That won’t change. And as long as he keeps telling people, they’ll keep him here, and I can continue my work,” the voice was so sure sounding. “The others aren’t as important as him, so long as I have him, I can keep going.”

Ichigo felt his clothing had been replaced, but he didn’t remember when that happened. He didn’t care, though. He rolled over on his side and pulled his legs up to his chest, curling in on himself. Eventually, they left, and he was alone again. He cried into the night.


	2. Old Friends

Shiro sat in the bar and drank the screwdriver he ordered slowly. He was relaxing after his first day at work and unwinding just a little. He wasn’t looking for anyone to hook up with, and he wasn’t even looking for conversation.

“Well, I thought it was you,” he heard and turned to spy a familiar face.

“Grimmjow?” he said, eyes wide.

The blue-haired man sat down at the bar beside him. “Gimme a beer,” he said to the bartender and winked at Shiro. “Been a while.”

“At least four years since I was a resident in college,” Shiro acknowledged, still surprised.

“What are you doing in Las Noches?” Grimmjow asked, thanking the bartender as he sat down a beer for him.

“I just started at the Rehabilitation Center,” Shiro answered.

“Oh really? That’s where I work.”

“What? Really?” Shiro exclaimed. “You’re kidding. I didn’t see you there today.”

“Day off. I’ll be there tomorrow. I’m a psychiatric technician. Funny, huh? It was the same thing I was doing in LA.”

Shiro and Grimmjow had met when Shiro was a resident at a psychiatric facility in LA. Their meeting had been explosive as they had done nothing but clashed immediately. Then, after a New Year’s party, they ended up having rough sex in the hotel bathroom, followed by a weekend holed up in the hotel room they got afterward. They had ended up in an intense relationship for a few months before Shiro had left LA for his first job after residency. He hadn’t seen, nor heard from, Grimmjow ever since.

“Wow, I can’t believe you’re working there too,” Shiro sipped the drink and wondered if fate was telling him something.

“Yeah, been there two years already. Dr. Aizen’s a prick, but he’s decent to work for,” Grimmjow shrugged, chugging down the rest of his beer.

“What do you mean, he’s a prick?” Shiro asked, turning and staring at him. “He seemed pretty normal to me.”

“You haven’t been there long enough, yet,” Grimmjow said, flagging the bartender for another beer. “He’s an arrogant dickwad that is more concerned with his pet projects than the patients that are there. But I can’t really talk about that here,” he muttered, cutting his eyes at Shiro as another beer was sat down before him.

“Well, now, I’m curious,” Shiro glared at him but he understood it wasn’t something that could be talked about in public. Hell, it was probably something that shouldn’t be talked about at all. But now Shiro was wondering what was really going on at the facility.

Two screwdrivers later, and Grimmjow had him pinned against the wall in the bathroom with both hands down the back of Shiro’s pants. Shiro was panting because he was a little buzzed, but not too bad. That, and it had been a while.

“Come on, we can’t do this here,” Shiro gasped as Grimmjow’s nails dug into his ass.

“Wanna go back to mine or yours?” Grimmjow asked, biting none too gently at Shiro’s neck.

“Doesn’t matter. I’m at a hotel right now. My apartment won’t be ready for two more weeks,” Shiro breathed as Grimmjow’s leg ground into his erection.

“Hmm, let’s make a mess of your room,” Grimmjow growled, pulling his hands out of his pants and grabbing his wrist to pull him out of the bathroom.

The bartender gave them a cursory glance and shook his head as they walked past on their way out.

“We can take my car,” Shiro said, trying to get his dick to cooperate as he adjusted his pants.

“Alright, you okay to drive?” Grimmjow asked as Shiro led them to his four-door coupe.

“Yeah, I’m good,” he said, getting in and waiting for Grimmjow to get in the passenger side. “Two drinks won’t bother me,” he said, taking off, perhaps a bit too fast.

“I hope so,” Grimmjow responded.

A few minutes of quiet car ride later, they ended up at the hotel. Shiro led him into the room, and as soon as the door shut, Grimmjow was back on him, biting into the back of his neck and shoulders. Shiro groaned and reached up to grab his head.

“Gotta admit, missed ya,” Grimmjow said, sliding his hands down to his hips. “You were probably one of the best lays I’ve ever had.”

“Well, glad I made an impression,” Shiro said as Grimmjow’s hands slid down and undid the front of his pants and started pulling them down his hips.

“Goddamn, I’ve still got my shoes on,” Shiro grumbled as he felt his boxers slide down over his hips, too.

“They’ll come off,” Grimmjow said, pushing him, stumbling, to the bed.

Shiro fell onto it, tripping over his pants and boxers that were caught at his ankles and giggled. He struggled for a second, getting his shoes kicked off finally along with the pants and boxers. He already felt Grimmjow’s hands on his dick stroking him. He moaned as Grimmjow ground his own arousal into his leg through his pants.

Grimmjow chuckled. “Clothes are such a nuisance,” he muttered, pausing to strip the shirt over his head band then undoing the jeans he was in and peeling them off.

“I see you still go commando,” Shiro said, glancing back at him.

“Never saw the point of underwear,” Grimmjow smiled, rubbing the head of his cock down the crack of Shiro’s ass. “Shit, that’s good. You okay to go like this or you want me to find some lotion?”

“Don’t fuck me dry, you blue bastard,” he growled. “That shit hurts. Find something. There should be some of those fucking lotion bottles in the drawer or on the nightstand. At least I hope so.”

Grimmjow rummaged around. “Aha,” he said. “Little bottle, but it’ll work.”

“Good,” Shiro said, turning back as he felt Grimmjow shove lotion coated fingers into him. “Oh, good god, it’s been a while.”

“Yeah, yer tight as fuck,” Grimmjow said, pulling his hips a bit so he could reach him better. “Ain’t been getting fucked lately?”

“Maybe I missed your big ass dick a little.” He groaned out load. “Or more.”

“You mind going quick, because I’m so fucking hard right now I can’t stand it,” he said, shoving his fingers back and forth hard and fast.

“Yeah, just fuck me already, I’m good,” Shiro told him, arching a bit as he brushed into his prostate.

“You asked for it,” Grimmjow growled and pulled his fingers out. There was a slight pause and Shiro guessed he was slicking his cock, because then he was shoving into him.

“Oh, fuck, I forgot how big your dick was,” Shiro gasped, squeezing his eyes closed for a second as he adjusted to his size.

Grimmjow chuckled. “You know you like it rough, fucking cock slut.”

“Didn’t say it wasn’t good,” Shiro answered, pressing back against him as he began thrusting into him. Luckily, the lotion was helping. He didn’t think he could’ve taken him with spit or dry. He was too damn big. Especially not since it had been a while since he’d done this.

Grimmjow flipped him suddenly to his back and Shiro wrapped his legs around him tightly. He was so full it was almost uncomfortable, but he was getting used to it. And if he knew Grimmjow, this was only the first go round for the night. He reached up and grabbed him by the neck and pulled him down, pressing his lips against him. He responded, sliding his tongue out and pressing it into his mouth, pushing Shiro’s tongue away as he dominated him in the kiss. He dug both sets of fingernails into his back as he felt him start stroking his prostate at a good angle.

“Oh, fuck,” Shiro gasped. “You feel so good.”

“Yeah, you’re fucking hot and tight, Shiro. Better than anyone else I’ve had since,” he growled, thrusting deep into him.

“Oh, I’m gonna come soon, fuck, you’re right on my prostate,” he said, groaning long and low.

“Yeah, not gonna last much longer the way you’re squeezing me,” Grimmjow responded, slowing down a little and grinding down into him harder.

It didn’t take much longer until they were both reaching their limit. Grimmjow unhooked Shiro’s legs from behind him and pressed him forward, angling as deep as he could. Shiro couldn’t hold it when he started doing that, coming hard and suddenly.

“Fuck!” Grimmjow followed him, pumping a few more times before he met his own completion.

Shiro lay panting then laughed.

“What is it?” Grimmjow asked, frowning as he pulled out and stood up.

“Just the whole thing. I can’t believe we just did that. It’s like no time had passed,” Shiro said, scooting into the bed and out of the wet spot they’d made.

Grimmjow snorted, climbing into the bed with him. “Well, you know.”

Wrapping his arms around Shiro, Grimmjow made himself comfortable under the covers and was silent for a bit. For a second, he thought Shiro had gone to sleep but he moved, turning around to face him.

“What did you mean earlier about Dr. Aizen being a prick?”

Grimmjow sighed. “Well, shouldn’t really talk about it, y’know.”

“Yeah, but you always hear the gossip the doctors never do,” Shiro pointed out.

“You’re right about that,” Grimmjow acknowledged. “So, like, there’s a rumor that he’s testing drugs on patients.”

Shiro’s eyes went wide. “He’s what? How do people even know that?”

“Well, there’s certain patients that he pays special attention to. Some people think he does things to the meds that are handed out, but I don’t see that one. I’ve watched them be opened from sealed containers.”

“Some people?” Shiro asked.

“Well, I can’t really say who. That might get them in trouble. You’re a doctor after all. But you should be watching Dr. Aizen. Something’s not right there for sure,” Grimmjow sighed.

“I got two patients so far,” Shiro said, locking eyes on Grimmjow. “Riruka and Ichigo.”

“Ichigo? Good luck there. He’s one of the worst ones in the place,” Grimmjow arched one blue brow at him. “I got a broken nose thanks to him once already.”

“I spent time with him yesterday. He slammed me up into the wall but when I didn’t react, he seemed to settle down. They have cameras, don’t they? In the facility?” Shiro really did wonder about that.

“Of course,” Grimmjow said. “I mean, not in private areas, of course. They can’t really, it would be a privacy violation. You’re not letting Ichigo’s persecution story get to you, are ya?”

Shiro sighed. “I can’t help but wonder if there’s any truth in his words. He’s got some convictions that are hard to ignore.”

“He’s crazy.”

“That’s a bit wrong of someone that works there, isn’t it?” Shiro asked, arching one brow at him.

“I guess, but I guess my nose makes me a bit sour,” Grimmjow shrugged.

Shiro was quiet for a moment. “He’s cute, too. Too bad I’m his doctor.”

“Well, you never know what the future holds. I guess he’s not bad looking. Can’t say much on his hair color, considering mine.” Grimmjow grinned. “Come on, I’m hard again. Ready for another romp?”

“Again?” Shiro chuckled as Grimmjow snuggled into his neck and started nipping at his collarbone.

“Again.”

-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-

“Ichigo, are you sure you’re alright?” Isshin Kurosaki asked his son.

Ichigo looked at him then to the side and shook his head. “They’ll come.”

“Who will come?” Isshin asked, frowning.

“The people coming after me,” he whispered.

Two days later, he ran away. It took nearly a month, but the police found him on the street, in a drug house. He resisted them and ended up handcuffed and taken in for psychiatric evaluation. He had been twenty years old and going to college. Nothing had ever been wrong with him before, then suddenly he started talking about people coming after him. Isshin thought he could have gotten involved in something illegal, but it turned out he was just paranoid.

He spent a couple weeks in the hospital, and they got him on medications they hoped would help him. That’s when they gave him the diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia. For a while, everything seemed to get better. He stopped seeing people who were coming after him, and things settled down. He didn’t go back to school, instead staying home and dropping out. He knew what was going on, and he acknowledged that everything had been in his mind.

Then it happened again, and he ran away. The meds had stopped working, and he quietly fell back into the same delusions. Once again, when they got bad, he ran away. He was twenty-two this time. Once again, the police picked him up in a drug house. He’d been self-medicating this time with several illicit substances and had gotten addicted along with the other issues. He went through a rehabilitation program, with new meds this time for the schizophrenia. He came home again, determined to stay clear of any illegal drugs.

When Isshin talked to him about it, Ichigo only could say that he ran because he had to protect him, Karin, and Yuzu from the people that were after him. He ran because he was convinced, they would get hurt and it would be his fault. He could never describe these mysterious figures, only that they were shadows at the edge of his vision. They were faceless, and when he was properly medicated, Ichigo knew that it was ridiculous to be afraid of what amount to figments of his imagination. It didn’t help make it any less real during an episode. He was able to calmly and rationally discuss it with his therapists when they talked to him.

Then, at twenty-four, the major incident happened. This time, due to the side effects of the medications he was on, he stopped taking them. He didn’t tell anyone, but the hallucinations came crashing back, but stronger than before. Again, he ran. But this time, when the police found him, he was convinced that the police where the ones after him, and he ended up injuring two of them before they finally got him arrested. Because of that, the police insisted he be institutionalized. Isshin hated to take that step, but he had little choice by then.

Las Noches had the closest rehabilitation center, so he ended up packing up his family and moving there. There was simply no other choice. Luckily, the girls had wanted to go with him, and ended up attending school there as well.

Now he stood at the door to the facility again, visiting on the weekend. Karin and Yuzu had come with him, and they were ready for anything. They checked in and got taken to the common room where Ichigo was seated at one of the tables waiting for them. He looked up when they approached. 

“Son, how are you?” Isshin said as he came and sat down next to him. Karin and Yuzu took up the other seats.

“I’m okay,” he said, glancing around at everyone. “How is everything for you?”

“I’m getting married,” Yuzu said, smiling at him.

“You are? Wow, who is it?” Ichigo said, looking at her.

“His name is Jinta. We’ve been dating for the last couple years. He finally proposed last weekend,” she explained. “Here, I brought a picture of us. You can have it.”

She handed over the picture of her standing with the red-haired Jinta. Ichigo stared at it for a long time, and then smiled.

“I’m happy for you,” he said finally. “I wish I could get out to come to it.”

“It’s okay,” Karin said, reaching over and putting a hand on his. “We’ll take video and pictures just for you.”

“Yeah, but it won’t be the same as being there,” he said, eyes downcast. “I should be better, but they keep coming at night.”

“Have you talked with the therapists about it?” Isshin asked. “Being able to visit outside the facility?”

“I just got a new doctor, but he doesn’t believe me either.”

“Ichigo, you know they’re not real. They’re just delusions,” Yuzu said quietly. She looked teary eyed a bit like always when they visited.

“These aren’t delusions! These are real! I know the delusions and hallucinations, but these aren’t them. These are people who come in the night and give me shots that make me feel funny, then they do _things_ to me.” He looked between them seriously.

“Son, I know you believe that. But as long as you do, they’re not going to let you out of here,” Isshin told him, reaching over and clutching his shoulder.

“But it’s the truth!” he exclaimed a little too loudly.

Isshin sighed, seeing a doctor come toward them. He was unfamiliar to him and he had the strangest eyes. “You must be Ichigo’s family,” he said as he got to the table. “I’m Dr. Shirosaki, Ichigo’s new doctor.”

Isshin stood up and reached out and shook his hand. “Dr. Isshin Kurosaki. Nice to meet you. These are Ichigo’s sisters, Karin and Yuzu.”

The doctor nodded and looked over at Ichigo. “We’ve only been working together for a few days, but so far, Ichigo and I are getting along better than the other doctors.”

“That’s a relief,” Isshin said. “He certainly didn’t get along with the last two.”

Dr. Shirosaki smiled. “I was going over his history and noticed that he tries to protect his family from the delusions. That’s a hallmark I don’t see often.”

“Yeah, he always worried more for us than himself,” Isshin nodded.

Ichigo was staring at his hands and ignoring everyone now. It was quite obvious that he was feeling like no one was listening to him. He started chewing on his thumbnail and looking away from everyone.

“I’ve noticed a few worrisome symptoms that really haven’t been documented in his files, so I wanted to ask you about them while you’re here,” the doctor said.

“Symptoms? Like what?” he asked, curious why no one else had brought this up.

The doctor glanced at the girls and then back to Isshin. “Has he ever experienced any trauma?”

“Trauma?” Isshin asked. “Not that I know of. He did witness his mother’s death; she was killed in a mugging gone wrong.”

“Hmm, perhaps that would account for it,” he said, looking thoughtful. “But he seems to exhibit trauma responses, especially to being touched unexpectedly. I’ve noted that his violent reactions tend to come out when he’s surprised.”

“That is something no one has brought up before and something I’ve never noticed,” Isshin said slowly.

“I keep telling you that they do things to me at night,” Ichigo said without looking up. “But you don’t listen to me.”

“Could his belief in the delusions cause such a reaction?” Karin asked.

“Well, I’ve never seen this kind of reaction in someone who hadn’t experienced some sort of real trauma. I’ve began trying to determine what exactly has caused it. Normally, it’s experienced by childhood sexual abuse survivors.”

“Whoa, wait a minute, what are you saying? That someone did something to him as a child?” Isshin asked, truly shocked by the insinuation. 

“Oh, no, I’m not saying that he is a survivor of CSA. Just that the symptoms match many of them that I’ve worked with. I’ve worked mostly with young people, and Ichigo is much older than my previous patients,” Dr. Shirosaki said.

Isshin still didn’t like the thought that this doctor believed someone might have abused his son. He knew that nothing like that had happened to him as a child. He swallowed and glanced at Ichigo. He was still staring at his hands. If what the doctor was saying was true, then what if Ichigo was experiencing something traumatic and no one believed him?

“Could it be true?” Isshin said quietly. “Could someone have hurt him at one of his inpatient facility visits?”

The doctor cocked an eyebrow. “I wish I could say it was impossible, but I can’t. There have been instances of abuse at facilities, though none of the ones I’ve worked at.”

“I’ll look into his past facilities,” Isshin said. He glanced at Ichigo. “Ichigo, has anyone ever touched you inappropriately when you’ve been in a facility?” he asked.

Ichigo looked at him. “I’ve told you, they come at night!”

“Ichigo, that doesn’t answer the question,” the doctor said, frowning at him.

“I don’t know what else to say. They come at night,” Ichigo echoed the same sentiment, then looked away.

“I’ll keep working with him to see if we can’t get to the bottom of this,” the doctor said, putting a hand on Ichigo’s shoulder. “I’m reevaluating his medication to see if maybe an adjustment might help since what he’s on now doesn’t seem to be stopping the delusions entirely.”

“Um, doctor? I’m getting married in a few months. Is there any chance Ichigo could go?” Yuzu said, looking up at him.

Dr. Shirosaki thought for a minute. “Let’s see if we can’t regulate his condition a little better. Then we can come back to it.”

“I want to go,” Ichigo said suddenly, looking over at the doctor.

“I know you do, Ichigo,” he answered. “But we’ll have to see where you are at that point. Today, I would say no, but if we work hard together, maybe we can arrange it by then. I certainly will try to make it happen.”

“It would be nice if he could leave. He’s been here nearly two years now, and we really haven’t seen any progress. He was supposed to get better here and if anything, he’s gotten worse,” Isshin pointed out.

The doctor cocked his head to the side and looked at him. “Really? You think so?”

“I thought the meds were working fine before he stopped taking them the last time. The side effects got too much, and he thought he could handle it without the meds. But he was wrong and that led us to have to put him in here,” Isshin told him.

“I see,” Dr. Shirosaki looked like he was thinking. “I’ll let you continue with his visit. It was nice to meet you all.”

Isshin nodded and watched him go. Something was tickling the back of his mind. Something that wasn’t quite right.

-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-

Ichigo sat in his room and stared at the wall. He didn’t know what to do. They kept asking him the same questions and he kept telling them the same answers. What more could they want from him? He swallowed and looked up when there was a knock at the door.

“Ichigo, dinner,” he heard. The door opened and he saw it was Grimmjow. “Dr. Shirosaki said you wanted to stay in your room tonight,” he explained, sitting the tray down on the table by the bed with the tea.

“Please, can’t anyone believe me?” Ichigo said and felt tears slipping down his face. “Anyone?”

Grimmjow blinked in surprise. Usually Ichigo was violent and he knew it, but today he was just tired. He didn’t know what to do anymore.

“Do you need me to get the doctor? Dr. Shirosaki is not here, he’s already left for the day. But I think Dr. Aizen is here.” Grimmjow looked at him. Ichigo didn’t think Grimmjow liked him. He’d punched him more than once.

“No!” Ichigo shook his head. “I only want to talk to Shiro.”

Grimmjow nodded. “He’ll be back in the morning, okay?”

Ichigo swallowed hard and sighed. “No one listens no matter what I say. Not even my family believes me. What do I do?”

“They can only believe things that are real, Ichigo. Not your delusions. No one is after you and no one does anything to you.”

“But they do! They come at night, and I just am so tired of it,” he sighed again. He didn’t have the strength to fight anymore. He was so very tired.

“Maybe I can stay here tonight, would that be better?” he asked. “I’m supposed to go home in an hour. How about I stay here all night and keep watch to make sure no one comes.”

Ichigo looked up at him. “You’d do that?” he asked, blinking in surprise. Why was he being nice to him like this?

“Yeah, just to show you no one will hurt you,” Grimmjow said and patted him gently.

“Okay, please. Maybe I can sleep with you here.”

Grimmjow left for a while and Ichigo ate his dinner. He drank down the tea and wondered if he would really come back. To do this for him, to give up his time off for him, why would he do that? He hoped he would because he hadn’t slept well for a long time. Even if they didn’t come, he had trouble sleeping. After about an hour, as promised, Grimmjow came back.

“Okay, I’ll stay in the chair. I asked Dr. Aizen and he said it was fine for me to stay,” Grimmjow said and settled into the big chair in the room.

Ichigo swallowed and settled into bed, falling into a deep and dreamless sleep for the first time in a while.


	3. Behind the Scenes

Aizen stared at the camera feed from Ichigo’s room. Grimmjow had gone in there to sleep in the chair because Ichigo was having trouble sleeping. This put a crimp in his plans for tonight, but one day wouldn’t make that much difference in the testing. And if it assuaged fears that something untoward was going on, it was worth it.

“Sir, what are the plans for tonight?” Gin asked as he looked over Aizen’s shoulder.

“Ichigo is being watched, so we obviously cannot see him. But Shūkurō is due for another injection. His delusions have been rather minor lately, so we can safely increase the dose,” Aizen said, turning around to face Gin.

“What about the others?” Gin asked, stepping back.

“Hmm. Riruka is too aware of what is happening to use any longer. She is still suicidal though, so she’s not ready for release. Kūgo should continue with the additional dose at bedtime meds. Giriko’s obsessions are proceeding as planned. And Yukio isn’t showing any progress. He’s still catatonic most of the time. Moe’s treatment is coming to an end, so I don’t think he will be useful much longer.” Aizen stood. “But for tonight, I’ll just see to Shūkurō.”

He looked over to see Yammy waiting for instruction. “You sure you don’t want to see Ichigo? I can make sure Grimmjow doesn’t remember a thing.”

“No, it will be fine. I had my fun with him last night, so I have no real desire to visit him for carnal delights this evening. Though, I find that the new doctor might be a problem. I noticed that he’s already picking up on the rape trauma syndrome in his notes. He may be too sharp.” Aizen looked over at him. “Or he may be able to be recruited to our cause like Barragan and Szayelaporro. It is inconvenient having a doctor not on our side working here.”

“I’m not sure on that one, sir,” Gin said. “He seems pretty into his work. He might not take well to the experiments we have in place.”

“I can’t continue Ichigo’s care directly, so he’s necessary. And we can’t let the board know what’s happening. We’ll just have to be careful.” Aizen stood and went to a locked cabinet and opened it. It unsealed and cold air wafted out. “Let’s do rounds.”

-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-

“Uryū, what do you think about the new doctor at Las Noches?” Isshin asked.

“Oh, yeah, Dr. Ryuu Shirosaki. I saw his file go across my desk. I think he applied here too, but Las Noches picked him up first,” Uryū answered, shuffling the paperwork on his desk. The phone was on speaker.

“He said something that has me worried,” Isshin continued.

“What’s that?” Uryū frowned, looking at the phone.

“He asked if Ichigo had ever been abused, sexually.”

“Where would he get that sort of idea?” Uryū wondered, frowning. “None of his doctors have ever said something like that before, have they?”

“He’s the first. He said he was showing some symptoms that made him wonder. He even asked if anything happened to him in childhood. I’m worried, Uryū. What if something has happened to him? It’s not like someone is watching every minute when he’s in these facilities like Las Noches. And he keeps repeating the same story ever since he started going to Las Noches. That someone comes to him at night.”

“But that’s just part of his delusions…” Uryū said softly, trailing off. But what if it wasn’t?

“It has me worried.”

“But Dr. Aizen and the doctors at Las Noches are highly recommended and deal with all sorts of difficult cases,” Uryū said, no longer shuffling paperwork as he thought about it. “In fact, all their cases are long term.”

Was there something going on? Uryū had heard of things like patients being taken advantage of during inpatient stays. It wasn’t like it never happened. But was that happening here? The story that Ichigo repeated, that same thing all the time, that someone visited him at night, could it be real? Was someone abusing him, and he couldn’t get anyone to listen to him?

-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-

Grimmjow woke up when someone knocked on the door. He blinked and sat up in the chair, aching in several spots. He looked to see it was Emilou coming to check on Ichigo and get him to go to breakfast.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, frowning at him.

“He asked me to stay last night, so I did, to prove that no one was going to bother him,” he said, standing up and stretching. “Yo, Ichigo, wake up, it’s morning.”

Ichigo blinked and looked around the room. “I slept all night?”

“Looks that way.” Grimmjow smiled. “Time to eat. You going to fight with us this morning or go eat?”

“I’ll go eat,” Ichigo said, sitting up and running a hand over his head. “No one came last night.”

“No one ever comes, Ichigo,” Grimmjow said. “They’re delusions.”

Ichigo shook his head. “You don’t understand. I know the hallucinations. This is different.”

Grimmjow sighed and shook his head. “Well, no one came to your room last night other than the nurses to check on you.”

Ichigo turned toward him, and Grimmjow was surprised to see tears in his eyes. “Thank you. I know you can’t stay every night but thank you for last night.”

“Hey, now, don’t get all dewy eyed on me, I just—” he stopped, not sure what exactly to say.

Emilou arched a brow. “Come on, Ichigo. Let’s eat and get your morning meds, okay?”

“Okay, Nurse Emilou,” he said and followed her out of the room.

Grimmjow frowned as he watched them leave. That reaction seemed so out of place. And if he was delusional like they thought, wouldn’t he have the delusion even while Grimmjow was there? He frowned, wondering what was going on.

“Grimm?” he heard and looked up to see Shiro. “You’re still here?”

“Yeah, Ichigo practically begged me to stay here last night with him so he could sleep,” Grimmjow said, walking over to the door.

“Did he?” he asked.

“Yeah, he was almost bawling because of it. Strange. I was thinking, shouldn’t he have the same delusion even if someone was around?” Grimmjow asked, locking eyes with Shiro.

Shiro was silent. “You would think he would,” he said finally. “I’ll talk to him today about it. I’m more concerned about him, though. He’s showing some worrisome symptoms, and no one that’s worked with him have noted them before.”

“Isn’t that strange? Aizen, Granz, and Louisenbairn all worked with him. You’d think you’d all see the same things,” Grimmjow pointed out.

“Yeah,” Shiro said slowly, brows furrowed in thought. “I’ll see what he says today. Are you off today?”

“Yeah, that’s why I stayed last night. Figured I’d rest on my day off, but I slept surprisingly well in the chair. Want to meet for dinner after you’re off?” he asked, shoving hands in his pockets.

“Sure. Meet you at the diner on the corner of fifth and Verity at six,” Shiro nodded and disappeared out the door.

Grimmjow watched him go, then left to head out himself. He figured he’d stop and get groceries this morning and then take them home. Might grab a nap, he thought. Just to make up for the odd sleeping position from the night before. He was about to leave when someone grabbed him by the arm.

“What?” he said, turning around, finding he was looking at Aizen. “Doc?”

“Grimmjow,” he said, smiling slightly. “How was your night?”

“Um, okay. Little stiff this morning,” he said, noticing that Aizen still had a hold of his arm.

“Did Ichigo have any incidents during the night?” he asked.

“Nah, he slept pretty much all night. He said he didn’t see anyone in the room last night. So, I guess me being there kept that hallucination at bay.”

Aizen let go of him. “Indeed. You’re off today, so I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He turned and left, leaving Grimmjow a bit confused as to the interaction. He swallowed and narrowed his eyes at the leaving doctor. _What is really going on here?_

-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-

Shiro sat in the chair across from Ichigo with his notepad and listened to him talk about how he slept the night before.

“And I slept all night, Shiro!” he exclaimed. “I didn’t have a dream, or a delusion, and no one bothered me!” he exclaimed.

“Didn’t it bother you having Grimmjow in the room all night?” he asked.

“No, it helped. As long as he was there, I could relax and sleep because no one was going to come in the room with him there,” Ichigo said, twisting his hands together and then looking at Shiro. “Can someone stay every night with me?”

“I’m afraid it can’t be a regular thing, Ichigo,” Shiro told him.

Ichigo’s face fell. “I was afraid of that. But at least I got one good night sleep.”

“Ichigo, when they come to you at night, what do you see?” Shiro asked, intending to find out more while he was willing to talk about it.

Ichigo looked up from his hand. “It’s dark. And they blindfold me, so I can’t see them, but I know they’re there.”

“What happens while they’re in your room?”

Ichigo’s eyes went wide and he looked around. “They’re in the dark. They do things.”

“Ichigo, you always say they do ‘things’. What exactly does that mean?” Shiro watched him as he shook his head almost violently. “I want to help, but I can’t help if I don’t know what’s happening.”

“But you don’t believe me anyway. No matter what I say, you’re going to say it’s a delusion. You’re not going to believe me. No one does.”

“What would you say if I said I wanted to believe you?” Shiro asked, putting the clipboard in his lap and glancing around the room. He wondered if there was a camera in here. He thought there was one, but there shouldn’t be audio recording.

Ichigo looked at him. “What do you mean?”

“Just what I said. I want to help you anyway I can. I know you deeply believe what you’re saying. So, tell me, if I were to believe you, would you tell me more?” Shiro asked.

Ichigo swallowed hard and nodded, and his voice dropped in loudness. “They give me shots. It makes my head feel funny. Then they talk about it. Like, they say things about how it works, but then it gets fuzzy. And like I said, they cover my eyes. And sometimes they put something in my mouth so I can’t scream,” he touched his lips as he spoke. “Then—” he choked on the word and shook his head. “I can’t.”

“You can tell me, Ichigo. I promise, I’ll listen,” Shiro said gently, still not making notes.

This wasn’t about making notes. This was to find out what was happening right here in this facility. The more he found out, the more he was sure something was happening to Ichigo. The symptoms he showed didn’t just come from nowhere. They had a cause. Shiro was going to find out what that cause was.

Ichigo’s eyes had filled with tears. “I don’t know who it is. I can’t see them, they—they touch me. And do things to me.”

Shiro resisted the urge to sigh in frustration. It came back to the same phrase. They always did “things” to him, but he could never articulate what those things were. Shiro had a good idea what they could be, but if he couldn’t get any real confirmation, what could he do? Ichigo was showing acute rape trauma syndrome. And if he was right, someone in the facility was attacking him. But before he could make any sort of accusation, he needed some sort of proof. He knew what he wanted to do, but he couldn’t call in a doctor to check him over without cause. Then, there was a chance that he wouldn’t cooperate with an exam to find out if he had been raped.

“It’s okay, Ichigo. If you can’t put it in words, that’s okay. But I wish you would tell me for sure what they did to you,” Shiro told him. “People can’t hurt you here, Ichigo. No matter who they are. They aren’t allowed to do ‘things’ to you, no matter what. I really want to help you, but you have to be specific or I can’t do anything.”

Ichigo looked at him. He whispered the next words he said. “They take off my clothes.”

Shiro gritted his teeth. That was what he was afraid he was going to tell him. “Then what happens, Ichigo? What do they do?”

“Th-they t-touch me. Where they shouldn’t be touching,” he continued whispering, almost too low to be heard even in the silent room. “Then they put something hard _there._ ”

“Ichigo. Let me clarify. You’re telling me someone is sexually hurting you?”

Ichigo looked at him. “You don’t believe it.”

“I never said that,” Shiro said, trying to keep his face neutral, but it was hard.

Suddenly, Ichigo got up and practically tackled him in the chair. The chair scooted across the floor with the force, but Ichigo was embracing him, not trying to hurt him. Shiro’s breath caught as he clutched him tightly.

“Please help me,” Ichigo whispered urgently in his ear.

Shiro clutched him back, not knowing what else to do. “I’m going to do everything I can to help you. But Ichigo, don’t tell anyone else what we’ve talked about, okay?”

“I love you,” Ichigo blurted, then let go, jumping back and looking away.

Shiro blinked a bit in surprise. “Ichigo, I don’t think you can say that. You’re just wanting to be helped and I’m offering to help. It isn’t love.”

Ichigo shook his head. “No, I love you. Ever since you came to me the first time. I wanted to love you.”

Shiro licked his lips. This complicated things. He wasn’t going to be able to work with him if he was confessing romantic feelings for him. But then again, he didn’t have to report that, not just yet. He had to figure out who was doing this in the facility. He had to wonder if there were any others. He took Ichigo back to the common room and went to pick Riruka up for her meeting. They got settled in the room together.

“Ichigo was crying. Did you upset him?” she asked as she adjusted her clothes in her seat.

“We did some work,” Shiro answered. “He let go of some emotions.”

“Hmm, well, that’s good, I suppose.”

They were quiet for a moment. “So, what do you think of the other patients?” Shiro asked.

“Well, they’re alright. I don’t know any of them too well; I kind of keep to myself.” She looked around the room. “I am looking forward to going home to see my dolls again.”

“Dolls?” Shiro arched a brow and looked at her.

“I collect ball jointed dolls. I have thirty-six at home that I’ve collected so far. I like to sew little dresses and suits for them.” She smiled. “They’re one of the only things that makes me smile when I’m feeling my worst.”

Shiro nodded. “Is there something else that makes you feel better?”

“Thinking of going home and getting out of here.” She paused. “But I’m not ready yet. I still have the bad thoughts.”

“Has anything strange ever happened to you while you were here?” Shiro wondered, figuring that if he was going to investigate, he was going to go over as many things as he could.

“What do you mean?” she asked, frowning at him.

“Like, has anything ever happened that was out of the realm of normal? Maybe something you thought was a dream?”

Riruka looked like she was thinking. “Well, I used to dream someone came and gave me shots at night. But it was just a figment of my imagination. I know that now.”

“Now?” Shiro queried. “So, at some point you didn’t believe that?”

“Well, of course, when it happened, I thought it was real. But it couldn’t be real because no one else knew anything about it. But it was funny, when the dreams stopped, I started feeling better during the day and I was a lot clearer. So, I think it was all in my head.” She looked at him. “I mean, that’s the only explanation. Right?”

“Of course,” Shiro responded, nodding.

Now he was curious. Was she having dreams or was there more going on here that she just assumed was dreams?

“I think that’s all for today, Riruka. It’s almost lunch.” He stood up and led her out of the room back to the common room. Ichigo looked up when he came in and gave him that look again.

The rest of the day went quietly. No one had any issues, and Ichigo spent the day quietly coloring. Chad was on duty tonight, so Ichigo talked to him. Shiro was standing watching the common room as the end of his shift came up.

“You look pensive,” a female voice said behind him. He turned to see it was Nurse Harribel, the head nurse.

“Just thinking about the patients and how things are going,” he said, trying to smile at her.

“How are they going?” she asked.

“Well enough. I seem to be making connections with Ichigo and Riruka. I’m glad because neither one of them has an easy case,” he said with a nod.

“Well, it’s time for you to be off, isn’t it?” she said, glancing at the clock.

“Oh, yeah, it is, isn’t it?” he said and nodded. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then,” he said and turned to head to the front.

Shiro felt her eyes following him as he left. If there was a conspiracy here, who was in on it? Who could he trust? He couldn’t imagine something going on that Dr. Aizen didn’t know, so that would mean that he had to be in on whatever it was. He got into his car and sat there for a minute. Grimmjow. He had to be trustworthy. At least, he hoped he was since they were fucking again.

He sat at the diner a half an hour later, waiting on Grimmjow to get there. He was still unsure how to proceed.

“Hey,” he heard and looked up. Grimmjow sat down across from him. “You look like shit. What’s goin’ on?”

“Just, I think I got the confirmation I was looking for that something is happening at the facility,” Shiro sighed as the waitress came back over. They quickly ordered something, and she left.

“What do you mean?” Grimmjow asked, sipping his iced tea.

“I talked to Ichigo today. And I finally got him to admit to what was happening. He describes someone sexually assaulting him, basically. He says they blindfold him and gag him.” He sipped his own coke.

Grimmjow was quiet for a minute. “If that’s true, who could it be?”

“Well, it would have to be something Aizen was aware of. They have cameras all over the place. No one could get away with sexually abusing patients without him knowing. Then the technicians at night. And the nurses. They have to be in on it, otherwise someone would talk. And the other doctors, because no one reported Ichigo’s trauma symptoms in any of his files.”

Grimmjow arched a brow. “You’re basically insinuating that the entire place is in on it, you realize?”

“I know what I’m insinuating. I need proof though. And Ichigo’s word, even if I report it, won’t be enough. There has to be an exam to prove that he has been attacked. But I don’t know how we would even go about it,” Shiro sighed.

“Dr. Uryū Ishida. He knows Ichigo’s family, and he’s been to the facility to visit him before. He works at the hospital on the psychiatric floor. Maybe he could do something?” Grimmjow said.

“What, you believe it?” Shiro asked, surprised by that.

“I’ve been wondering if there was something going on there for a while,” he said. “That’s why I stayed overnight in Ichigo’s room.”

The waitress delivered their food and they ate in silence as they thought over what had been said. After they were done, Shiro had made his decision. He was going to get ahold of this Uryū Ishida and see if he could help. He needed someone outside the facility, and if they knew Ichigo, so much the better.

-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-

Uryū was about to get in bed for the night when he heard his phone go off. Some part of him wanted to ignore it, but it could be the hospital and who knew what they might need. He reached over and grabbed it, finding it was a number he didn’t know.

“Hello?” he asked.

“Hello, is this Dr. Uryū Ishida?” the voice asked.

“Yes, who is this?” he asked, sitting down on the bed. “And why are you calling me so late?”

“I’m sorry for that, it’s just important. My name is Dr. Ryuu Shirosaki from the Las Noches Rehabilitation Center. I’m calling about a patient you might know, Ichigo Kurosaki?”

Uryū frowned. “Um, yeah, I know him. What is this about?”

“Look, I think something is going on at the facility. I don’t want to talk about it on the phone. Can we meet?” he asked.

Uryū glanced at the clock. It was almost ten thirty already. “Now?”

“Now would be better than later. I think it’s important to do something as soon as possible.”

“Um, okay, well, how about the all-night diner?” Uryū said, sighing. He had to be at work at seven in the morning, so he guessed he’d be going without sleep at this rate.

“See you there in fifteen minutes,” the other doctor said, and hung up.

Uryū glared at his phone, glad he hadn’t undressed yet. He gathered his wallet and put on his shoes and headed out. He got to the restaurant before Dr. Shirosaki and got a seat. Luckily, the place was relatively empty. He rubbed his eyes and then looked up to see the very odd-looking doctor coming his way.

“Dr. Ishida,” he said.

“You can call me Uryū,” Uryū said and smiled.

“Okay, Uryū. Please, call me Shiro,” he said as he sat down across from him.

The waitress came and took their drink orders. Both ordered coffee. They waited patiently for her to bring back their drinks and declined to order any food. She went on her way, leaving them alone.

“So, tell me, what’s this about?” Uryū asked. “You obviously wouldn’t call me out this late at night for no reason.”

“I think Ichigo’s been abused in the facility and I’m not sure what to do so that I can prove it,” Shiro came out and said.

Uryū blinked. “Didn’t you just start working with him less than a week ago?”

“Yeah, but I got him talking today, and I think what he’s describing as what happens is a sexual assault while he’s drugged. I think others in the facility might also be victims of something similar,” he explained.

Uryū sipped his coffee. “Ichigo’s father contacted me with the same concern.”

“What should I do? I can’t go to Aizen because he may be involved,” Shiro kept his voice down.

“I’ll see if I can’t get something going from the outside. Maybe an anonymous report could be filed and open an investigation into the facility.” Uryū wasn’t sure how to approach the situation.

“I don’t care if they know it’s me,” Shiro said. “I will gladly go on record with it.”

“Alright, I might be able to go through my father. He’s on the director’s board for the facility. I don’t have much contact with him, but he might be able to do something.” Uryū really hated to get his father involved but he’d do what he had to.

“One other thing,” Shiro said, sighing. “He’s confessed to loving me.”

“Wait, what?” Uryū said, frowning.

“He said he loves me. I don’t know if it’s just an effect of me listening to him when others haven’t, but it might be a problem,” Shiro explained. “And I can’t say I don’t feel something for him. Because I do and have grown attached to him in the short time we’ve worked together.”

“That could be a problem indeed. Can you continue working there with him?” Uryū asked.

“For now, until we can ensure his safety.” Shiro drained his coffee and nodded.

“Alright, let me contact my father, and I’ll see if we can’t have some sort of investigation started. Hopefully, without anyone getting hurt,” Uryū said, finishing his own coffee.


	4. Forward Motion

Ichigo shivered because they’d come during the night and gave him the shot that made him fuzzy headed. He was hopeful for the first time in a long time, though. He thought that maybe Shiro was going to listen to him. He didn’t want to get too hopeful though. He dozed for a while until there was the usual morning knock on the door.

“Ichigo?” he heard and looked up to see it was Shiro instead of the nurse.

“Shiro!” he exclaimed. “What are you doing here?”

“Your father is coming to take you to see a different doctor today,” he said.

Ichigo blinked in surprise. He hadn’t left the facility in over two years for any reason. He was confused as to why he would be leaving for a doctor’s appointment. “Why?”

Shiro came in and sat down next to him. “It’s a doctor that’s going to examine you. It’s to prove what’s happened here.”

Ichigo’s eyes widened. “How?”

“She’s going to do a full body exam. She’s a nice doctor, and she’s not going to hurt you. I need you to cooperate with her while she does it. It may be uncomfortable, but it’s necessary. It will be important to prove that you aren’t just having hallucinations,” Shiro explained.

“Examine me? You mean _there?_ ” he gasped. He shook his head. “No, I don’t want to.”

“I know, but you want us to prove that something is going on here, right?” Shiro asked, taking his hand.

Ichigo swallowed. “B-but I’m scared.”

“It’s okay to be scared. Your father can stay with you, okay? And we need to do this so we know for sure. If someone has been hurting you, there will be evidence. It’s the only way we can prove it.”

Ichigo took a deep breath and tried to slow his heart down. How could he let someone look at him like that? What would they say? What would they do? But Shiro believed him, so he needed to listen to him.

“Okay. I’ll do whatever they need me to do,” he said, squeezing Shiro’s hand.

“Good. Let’s go have breakfast, then your father will be picking you up at nine,” Shiro told him and stood up.

Ichigo changed out of his pajamas and then followed Shiro out of the room to the dining room. Everyone was trickling in to have breakfast. He was nervous at the thought of going through this, but he wanted to show everyone what was happening and make it stop. Maybe he could even get out for a while and be with his family if they could prove that what he was saying was real and not just another hallucination.

“Dr. Shirosaki.” Ichigo looked over and saw it was Dr. Aizen. He clung to Shiro’s hand and hid behind him. He didn’t want to see Dr. Aizen today. “What is this about Ichigo leaving the facility today?”

“It’s at his father’s request. It seems that he’s taking Ichigo’s story seriously and wants to have him examined by an outside doctor. There’s nothing to be done about it, as it’s his father who is his guardian and who makes the decision to keep him here.” Shiro squeezed Ichigo’s hand in reassurance.

Dr. Aizen narrowed his eyes at him. “This is a farce and a waste of time. There is no good to come of this at all. Can’t you convince his father to have our resident medical doctor look him over?”

“Apparently, he knows Dr. Ryūken Ishida.”

Dr. Aizen frowned. “He what?”

“I thought you were aware, Dr. Ishida’s son, Dr. Uryū Ishida, knows Ichigo from when they were in school together. Apparently, Ichigo’s father has been in communication with Dr. Ishida the senior. He’s the one that suggested an outside doctor and referred him to Dr. Retsu Unohana,” Shiro said. Ichigo was still hiding a bit behind him.

Dr. Aizen snorted. “Very well. I still believe it is wholly unnecessary. He will barely cooperate with our doctor; I don’t see them doing any kind of thorough exam on him without putting him out.”

“I guess they’ll find out,” Shiro said and walked past him, pulling Ichigo with him.

Ichigo looked back and saw that Dr. Aizen was watching them. He frowned and wondered what exactly it was about his voice that seemed to bother him so much. He couldn’t think about that, though. Shiro sat him down at the table and then went and got a tray for him. Ichigo ate and then dumped his tray. One of the nurses, Nurse Mila Rose, came by and gave him his meds for the morning. He then went back to the common room and sat down on one of the sofas. He glanced over to see Yukio was sitting there too.

“Hi Yukio,” he said.

Yukio turned and stared at him for a second but didn’t say anything. Ichigo didn’t expect him to, though. Yukio didn’t talk to anyone. It was funny, though. Ichigo remembered when he first came to the facility, he talked some, then he just quit. Ichigo wondered about that. Maybe they came to Yukio at night too. He frowned. That’s why he had to do this. He had to let the doctor see him because what if they were doing it to other people too? What if they came and hurt someone besides him?

He was startled a bit when he felt someone put a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see it was Shiro. He smiled at him.

“Your father’s here. Are you ready?” Shiro asked.

“Okay, I think I’m ready,” Ichigo said, standing up slowly.

He saw his father waiting near the door. He was nervous but he had to do this no matter what. Shiro took his hand and led him over to the door where his father was waiting. He smiled and nodded at him.

“Hey, Pop,” he said.

“Are you feeling okay today?” Isshin asked.

“Yeah, just nervous. Shiro talked to me about it already this m-morning. I don’t wanna do it, but I’m gonna,” he said, nodding at him again.

“Good, son. We’ll get to the bottom of all this, one way or another,” Isshin said, taking his hand from Shiro.

“Good luck, Ichigo, try your best to cooperate with this doctor, okay?” Shiro said, smiling at him.

Ichigo just nodded and followed as his father led him outside. He hadn’t been outside other than in the yard for two years, and he almost wanted to just run away immediately. Before those thoughts had even finished, he felt his father tug on him to lead him toward the car.

He swallowed and went with him. He couldn’t run. If he did, nothing would change, and he’d get in trouble for running. He took a deep breath and got in the car when Isshin opened the door for him. He looked around, finding it strange to be in a car after so long. He didn’t say anything, but he looked around the whole time, taking in everything. It didn’t take long, and they arrived at a building that must have been a hospital. Isshin got out and opened the door for him. He got out and took Isshin’s hand.

“You okay, still?” Isshin asked him.

“Yeah. It’s a lot. I haven’t been out in so long…” he said looking up at the big building.

“I know, but if we can get this figured out, maybe you can come home,” Isshin told him as they walked toward the building.

“Really? You’d let me come home?” he asked, almost stopping.

“Of course, son. I would love to have you back home. The girls have both moved out, and it’s a little empty these days,” he smiled as he said it, and Ichigo believed him.

“Is it okay if I love someone, though?” he asked as they made their way to the elevator.

Isshin pushed the button for the fourth floor and looked at him for a moment. “Love someone? Like who?”

“I think I love Shiro.”

“Your doctor?” Isshin asked, surprised.

“Uh huh. Is that okay?” Ichigo followed him as they stepped off the elevator and walked toward an office.

“Let’s talk about that more in private, Ichigo,” Isshin said. “But you can love whoever you want. I just don’t know that what you’re feeling is love.”

“It is, though!” Ichigo insisted as they came into the office.

Everyone that was seated in the waiting room looked up as they came in. Isshin shushed him and went to the desk. Ichigo sighed. No one ever believed him about anything, and it was so frustrating. He swallowed and went back to what his father said. He had said he could love anyone he wanted. So that meant he could love Shiro if he wanted to.

“Let’s sit down,” Isshin said and took Ichigo’s hand to lead him to a couple empty chairs.

They sat there for a few minutes until a nurse came to the door and called, “Ichigo Kurosaki?”

“That’s us,” Isshin said, standing and reaching for Ichigo’s hand.

Ichigo took it tightly, starting to feel nervous. He wasn’t sure what was going to happen exactly, but he was sure it was going to be something he didn’t like. He came into the room with the nurse who took his temperature, his blood pressure, and respiration. He watched her as she worked, and then she excused herself and said the doctor would be in soon.

“Still okay, Ichigo?” Isshin said from where he sat by the door.

“I think so. I really want to leave, though. I know I can’t because no one will believe me if I don’t do this,” he said, sighing.

There was a knock and the door opened revealing a woman with long black hair braided down in front of her. She had a stethoscope around her neck and a white doctor’s coat.

“Hello, are you Ichigo?” she asked, smiling softly at him.

“I’m Ichigo, hi.” He wrung his hands together and stared at her.

“My name’s Dr. Retsu Unohana. I’m going to be doing a full exam on you today. Do you understand what that means?” she asked.

“I think so. You want to see if they did _things_ to me or not,” he spoke barely above a whisper.

“Things?” she said, glancing at Isshin. “Ichigo, have you ever had any other sexual experiences in your life that you’ve consented to?”

Ichigo frowned and shook his head. “I’ve never been with someone else like that. The only time someone has ever touched me like that was at night when they gave me shots.”

“So, you’re saying someone has touched you sexually without your consent?” she asked.

Ichigo felt the blood rush to his face. “I don’t know!” he said and covered his face with both hands.

“Dr. Kurosaki, you said he has hallucinations of persecution when he’s not on medication, right?” she asked.

“He always has, since he was twenty when it started happening. But this is different. And the new doctor is sure he’s showing rape trauma syndrome symptoms. This didn’t start until he was at Las Noches. That’s when he started saying people came and did things to him at night. He only recently was able to get across what that meant,” Isshin said while Ichigo continued to hide behind his hands.

“Well, the most I’ll be able to tell is if he’s had anal intercourse. If he’s had any consensual relationships…” she started.

“I didn’t say yes!” Ichigo blurted dropping his hands. “Not ever.”

“Okay, Ichigo. Then we’ll do the exam,” she said, reaching into a drawer and pulling out a gown. “Put this own and take off the rest of your clothes. I’ll step outside and let you change.”

She handed it over to him and nodded to Isshin. She went out the door, leaving them alone. Ichigo nervously pulled his shirt off then stepped off the table and put the gown on. Isshin helped him tie it, and then he stepped out of his pants and boxers. He was visibly shaking as he sat back on the table.

“Ichigo, are you going to be able to do this?” Isshin asked, putting a hand on his leg.

“I have to!” he said, staring with wide eyes at him. “Or they’ll keep coming.”

There was another knock and the doctor came back in. “Alright, lay back, and let me check over the rest of you,” she said.

He did as she said and was having trouble being still as she checked over his arms, then his legs. He felt her pause and rub a couple places on his arms. “Does he get injections often?”

“All his medications are oral. The only injections he ever has had have been anti-psychotics when he’s had a severe episode.”

“I’m noting recent injection sites,” she said, looking over at Isshin.

“I told you, they give me injections and it makes my head fuzzy,” Ichigo said, looking at her. “No one believes me, though. Only Shiro.”

“Shiro?” Dr. Unohana asked.

“Dr. Shirosaki,” Isshin explained.

“Ah, I see. He’s the one that believes something has happened in the facility, according to Dr. Ishida, isn’t he?” she said, pulling out the stirrups of the table and then coming around beside him. “Okay, I need you to scoot down to the end, and I’ll check you over, alright? I’ll be checking you internally for signs of anything that could indicate what’s happened, alright?” she told him.

Ichigo did as she asked, looking frightened but determined. She guided his legs into position, and she sat down on a stool and turned on an overhead light. She did something then he felt her touching him. He resisted the urge to slam his legs closed. He instead just closed his eyes and tried to imagine he was anywhere but here. He felt her push her finger inside him, and it didn’t feel too bad this time, not like when they did things to him. He frowned, then bit down on his lip as he felt her rub something that felt different. He hoped she finished soon.

“Alright, we’re done,” she said and he heard her removing her gloves.

Without being told, he pulled his legs down and scooted back to sit up, staring at her. She turned and looked at Isshin.

“He’s had something inserted into him, could easily have been through anal intercourse.”

Isshin nodded. “So, it isn’t just a delusion.”

“I told you!” Ichigo said, and realized tears were starting to fall. He rubbed his eyes angrily. “But no one listens!”

Isshin stood up and put his arms around him. “It’ll be alright. You’re not going back there again,” he said softly.

“But…but what if they do it to the others?” he asked, grabbing Isshin tightly and hugging him.

“Here, get dressed. I’ll let Dr. Ishida know what I’ve found and see what he wants to do. He’s on the board for the Center,” she said and nodded to them, going out.

“See?” Ichigo said, eyes still tearing. “I told you.”

“I know, son. I’m so sorry we didn’t listen,” he said and then helped him get into his clothes.

They were getting his shoes on when there was a knock at the door. Isshin looked up as Ichigo sat back down on the table.

“Isshin,” a white-haired doctor said as he came in with Dr. Unohana. Ichigo didn’t know him.

“Ichigo, this is Dr. Ryūken Ishida. He’s Uryū’s father. You remember him, don’t you?” Isshin said to Ichigo.

Ichigo looked at him and nodded. Ryūken looked annoyed, and he had to wonder if he was the cause of that annoyance. Finally, after a few minutes of silence, Ichigo blurted, “I’m sorry!”

Ryūken blinked and glanced at Isshin. “Ichigo, there’s no reason to be sorry,” he said, sighing. “I’m just trying to decide how to approach this. You can’t identify who it was that did this to you?”

“They’re fuzzy, and they blindfold me and tie my hands down, so I don’t know what they look like,” Ichigo told him.

“Nothing goes on in that Center that Aizen doesn’t know about,” Ryūken said. “He has to be involved in some fashion. He would have to at the very least know what’s happening.”

“Retsu said there were recent injections. He shouldn’t be having any injections at all,” Isshin said, putting an arm around him.

Ryūken frowned. “If Ichigo is being given injections off the books, what else is going on there?”

“Well, he can’t go back. Not if this is going on,” Isshin said.

“But I have to go back! Shiro will get in trouble if I don’t! Dr. Aizen will yell at him, and he’ll get mad and I love Shiro too much for him to get in trouble!” Ichigo knuckled away more tears.

“Dr. Shirosaki?” Ryūken asked, arching a brow at Isshin.

“Yes, he seems to think he loves him for some reason,” Isshin explained.

“I do! I love him!” he reiterated.

“Ichigo, I think you’re just experiencing an emotional attachment to Dr. Shirosaki because he’s the one that found the evidence to find out what was happening,” Ryūken said, crossing his arms over his chest. “Likely, it will fade given some time.”

“No, it won’t!” Ichigo told him.

“That’s something else entirely. What are we going to do?” Isshin asked, rubbing a hand over his head.

“If Ichigo doesn’t return, Aizen will know we’re onto him and likely destroy any evidence that can be used against him. Ichigo’s word will only go so far with a judge and jury because of his history of hallucinations and delusions. We need hard evidence,” Ryūken said, looking at Isshin.

“I can go back,” Ichigo said, looking between them.

Ryūken, Unohana, and Isshin all looked at him. “What do you mean, Ichigo?” Isshin asked. “You can’t go back. What if it happens again?”

“You have to catch him, right? So, I can go back. Otherwise he could hide what he’s doing, and no one is going to believe me because I can’t even describe who comes to me at night. And then he might do it to someone else,” Ichigo looked at Isshin. “I have to go back.”

Ryūken nodded. “If you think you’ll be okay going back today, I can try to get the board to approve an immediate investigation into the allegation that someone there has sexually abused a patient. It might take days, though. Ichigo, are you sure?”

“Have Grimmjow stay at night,” he said. “If you ask him, he’ll do it.”

“Is that one of the techs?” Ryūken asked.

“He stayed with me the other night and no one bothered me,” he said. “And I love Grimmjow too.”

Isshin sighed in exasperation. “Ichigo, I don’t think you understand what you’re saying. It’s okay to have friends there.”

“I understand just fine!” Ichigo growled, crossing his arms over his chest in a huff. “You’re still not believing me when I say stuff!”

Isshin sighed. “Alright, son. You can love anyone you want to love; I already told you that. I won’t stop you, but just realize that sometimes what we think is love is something different.”

Ichigo frowned and glared at him. “Well, I know what I feel.”

Ryūken shook his head and pulled out his phone. “I’ll work on the board. Take him back and see if you can get the tech to stay with him tonight. If everything goes well, we should be able to launch an investigation tomorrow morning.” He nodded and excused himself from the room.

“Are you sure about this, Ichigo?” Isshin asked him, putting a hand on his arm. “You don’t have to go back there.”

“I want to help,” he said. “I can do this. I don’t want anyone to get in trouble, and I want to see Shiro and Grimmjow again.”

Isshin nodded and thanked Dr. Unohana. He took Ichigo back to the car and they drove silently back to the Center. When they arrived, Ichigo hesitated. He was taking the chance of being hurt again. But if this worked, tomorrow someone would come and find out what exactly was going on. He had to help them do that.

“You okay, son?” Isshin asked as they sat there.

“Yeah. I’m ready,” he said, taking a breath and getting out of the car.

-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-

Shiro looked up to see Ichigo had come back. He frowned, wondering what they had found out at the exam. He headed over to him and said hello.

“Ichigo, how did it go?” he asked.

Ichigo nervously switched feet. “I did it. It was embarrassing! But she said that I wasn’t lying,” he said quietly. “So, they’re going to investigate.”

“Why are you here, then? Why didn’t your father take you home instead of bringing you back?” Shiro asked, entirely surprised that he would have been returned to the center where someone was abusing him.

“It’s so Dr. Aizen doesn’t know something’s wrong,” he said in a hushed voice. “I’m gonna ask Grimmjow to stay with me again tonight. That way no one bothers me.”

Shiro nodded. “I’ll talk to him. It’s lunchtime, so go on to the dining room.”

Ichigo nodded and disappeared through the dining room door. He watched him go and get his tray and sit down.

“He’s back. Obviously, they didn’t find anything,” Aizen said at his elbow, startling him.

“Oh, yeah, well, you know, the symptoms could come from his hallucinations seeming so real to him,” Shiro said, quickly thinking about how to make sure the other doctor didn’t get any idea of what was happening.

“Hmm, indeed. I’ll be in my office if you need anything,” Aizen said, walking away.

Shiro crossed his arms and went into the dining room himself, trying not to look at Ichigo. He was wondering if he was right to be listening to Ichigo. Perhaps they didn’t find anything and Ichigo was making up this idea that they were coming after Aizen? How could he confirm it without rousing Aizen’s suspicion that he knew something was happening? He supposed it wouldn’t hurt to see if Grimmjow would stay the night in Ichigo’s room.

It took a couple hours before Grimmjow came in for the day. He worked three until eleven tonight. He caught him as he was going about his duties.

“Ichigo wants you to stay with him tonight,” Shiro told him.

“Aw, really? I was looking forward to fucking you tonight,” he said with a grin.

Shiro rolled his eyes. “Shut up about that here. I think you should.”

“Why tonight?” Grimmjow asked.

“Ichigo went to an outside doctor and says that they told him they were going to investigate Aizen and the Center. I haven’t confirmed the story, but there’s no reason for him to lie about it. Even if it isn’t true, it won’t hurt to have you stay with him, just to be sure.”

Grimmjow nodded. “Alright, I can do it. I gotta get Aizen to approve the overtime, though. Should I just say Ichigo asked again?”

Shiro nodded. “It would be the best.”

“I’ll go do it,” he said and headed off to Aizen’s office.

Shiro watched him go and crossed his arms over his chest. Would anything come of this? Or would it all be for naught?


	5. Truths Revealed

Uryū looked at Ryūken with surprise. “They listened?”

“They listened,” Ryūken said with a nod.

Uryū had been shocked to learn that Ichigo not only wasn’t hallucinating the events but was willing to go back to make sure Dr. Aizen was brought to justice. That meant his mental faculties were far better than anyone had previously believed. It was obvious that he was being affected by whatever was going on in that Center. To think, though, that someone had actually raped a patient in the place was horrible. What else had gone on that they didn’t know about?

“What’s going to happen?” Uryū asked.

“Well, this morning, the board is sending me and a couple others, Dr. Ukitake and his husband who works on the state health board included.” Ryūken looked at his son. “Would you like to come?”

“I can?” Uryū asked, surprised again by the offer.

“Yes, I’d like you to sit with Ichigo while we go through the procedures. He’s not to be talked to by anyone else, even his doctor. That way the board can interview him later to today.”

Uryū nodded. “Alright, I can do that.”

An hour later, they pulled up to the facility. Ryūken paused as they sat in the car. “Son, I know you have a previous relationship with Ichigo from when you went to school together, but I’m going to ask you to take over his care.”

“Wait, what?” Uryū asked, glancing over at him. “Why? Isn’t Dr. Shirosaki his doctor now, anyway?”

“Ichigo seems to believe he’s in love with Dr. Shirosaki. We’ll have to assign someone else to him immediately,” Ryūken explained.

Uryū nodded. “If you think that’s the right decision.”

They got out at the Center and saw another car pulling up. It was probably Dr. Ukitake and his husband, Dr. Kyōraku. They came into the building and went through security check and approached the desk.

“Can I help you?” the receptionist asked. Uryū smiled because he knew Orihime pretty well.

“Yes, we’re here to see Dr. Aizen,” Ryūken said.

“Who may I ask are you?” she frowned a bit, obviously not recognizing Ryūken.

“Dr. Ryūken Ishida, and Dr. Uryū Ishida. We came with Dr. Jūshirō Ukitake and Dr. Shunsui Kyōraku. It’s imperative we see Dr. Aizen right away. We’re here on behalf of the board of directors.”

“Oh, of course.” She immediately put in a call to the doctor and was told he would come out to meet them.

Uryū looked up to see Dr. Ukitake and Dr. Kyōraku. They both looked rather serious, but then, this was a serious occasion. He was a bit nervous about the whole thing because who knew what they were going to find. He wondered if Aizen would have a chance to hide anything. Of course, there was a distinct chance there was nothing to be found and Ichigo was still only having delusions of these events. But Dr. Unohana didn’t seem to think that was the case after her exam.

Dr. Aizen came out and looked around at the group. “Can I do something for the board?”

Ryūken nodded. “We came to investigate allegations of sexual misconduct by someone in the facility. We’re here to go over the records and view footage from the video feeds.”

Aizen looked like he was caught off guard for a moment before he collected himself. He hadn’t expected this, it appeared. He cleared his throat. “Very well, come this way,” he said and led the group through the doors.

“I’ll find Ichigo,” Uryū said as he broke off from the group.

He caught sight of him easily sitting at a table in the middle of the room so he approached him from the side he could see him coming. Ichigo looked up and smiled at him.

“Uryū!” he exclaimed.

Uryū smiled, glad that he was recognized. “Hi, Ichigo. How are you today?”

“I slept last night because Grimmjow stayed with me. No one came to me,” he said in a low voice.

“That’s good, Ichigo. Um, I’m going to be working with you from now on, I hope that’s okay?” Uryū asked him.

“Really? I thought you couldn’t work with me because of before?” Ichigo asked, frowning at him.

“Well, it’s a special circumstance. My father told me you think you have feelings for Dr. Shirosaki. Because of that, he can’t really be your doctor anymore,” Uryū explained.

Ichigo frowned. “Okay, but I don’t think I have feelings for him. I do have feelings for him. And for Grimmjow too. But that’s okay because Dr. Shirosaki and Grimmjow are together.”

Uryū arched a brow. “They are? How do you know that?”

“I just noticed. So, if they love me too, can I be with them?” he asked, his face quite serious.

“Well, first we have to get you taken care of.” Uryū really didn’t know what to do with that sort of question because he didn’t know how Ichigo would possibly know that Grimmjow and Dr. Shirosaki were seeing each other.

“Dr. Ishida?” Uryū heard and looked up to see Dr. Shirosaki.

“Hi,” he said, smiling at the other doctor.

“What’s happening? I saw several other doctors come in with you.”

“The board is looking into things here with Dr. Aizen. I’ve been asked to take over Ichigo’s care from today onward because of his…pronouncement.”

“His pronouncement?” Dr. Shirosaki asked, looking a bit confused.

“He’s said he loves you, and apparently the tech, Grimmjow, too, so it’s a good thing that he’s no longer going to be here,” Uryū explained.

“Ah, you did, huh, Ichigo?” Dr. Shirosaki said, smiling gently.

“Of course!” Ichigo said with a grin. “I love you both! And it’s okay because my father said I can love anyone I want!”

“Well, Ichigo, that’s true, but love has to be reciprocated, you know,” Uryū said, shoving his glasses up his nose as he spoke.

“I know that!” Ichigo said, frowning. “But Shiro and Grimmjow are going to be with me. That’s that. Because they feel the same, right, Shiro?”

The pale doctor paled a little more, Uryū noted. “Um, well, Ichigo, I can’t really return those feelings right now, considering your condition. Things are very complicated right now.”

Ichigo frowned. “It’s okay. I know that, but it won’t change, so I’ll wait until I’m better, then we can be together, right?”

Dr. Shirosaki smiled. “You get better, and then we can talk.”

“Alright!” Ichigo grinned broadly. Uryū just shook his head. It was a hard place for a doctor to be placed when a patient confessed love interest in them. Of course, it was probably all going to fade given some time.

Uryū stayed with Ichigo until it was almost lunchtime, and given how long had passed, he began to wonder what was going on in the back. He hadn’t seen the doctors that had gone in, and he hadn’t seen anyone come out. If there had been nothing to find, they would have already come back out, he imagined. He ended up going to lunch with Ichigo, and after lunch things started to happen.

Ryūken came out not long after they had gone back into the common room. He approached Uryū and sighed. “We have found some suspicious gaps in the video feeds. Most notably, gaps in the feeds at night in various rooms at various times. The chances of the cameras all failing like that is highly unlikely.”

“So, someone has cut the feeds at night,” Uryū surmised.

“That’s what we think. Aizen has no explanation for it, and he also can’t explain why Ichigo had fresh injection sites. Something more is happening here, that’s for certain. Until we can determine what it is, he’s been put on administrative leave.”

Uryū nodded. “What about Ichigo?”

“That’s up to him. Ichigo, what would you like to do? Your father informed me that the decision was yours. Do you want to try staying with him or remain here while I take care of this facility?” Ryūken asked Ichigo.

Ichigo frowned. “Where do I need to be if I want to love Shiro and Grimmjow?”

Ryūken sighed. “You can’t be here if you’re going to insist on such a thing. This is where they work, and it would not be ethical for them to even consider something with a patient. It’s rather shaky even otherwise with Dr. Shirosaki being a doctor.”

“Then I’ll go home with my father. I know I can’t love them now, but once I’m better, I’ll come back for them. I promise.”

-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-

The fallout from the investigation took a while. Eventually, it was revealed that Aizen and several other members of the facility were guilty of erasing facility video feeds. It was found that other patients had been receiving injections outside of the records. Aizen’s office had a refrigerated cabinet that was hidden from view. In it, they found vials of several drug compounds. They all appeared to be illicit drugs of some sort, and Aizen had no explanation for it. He didn’t try to come up with any excuses for it, as there was none.

Immunity was offered to anyone who would come forward with information, but they were working on undoing the erased video footage. Surprisingly, Yammy came forward with information. He said he didn’t want to go down for something Aizen did. He corroborated Ichigo’s stories, though, and revealed that Aizen had taken a special interest in Ichigo for some reason. Perhaps it was because his delusions and hallucinations were so easy to manipulate into what he wanted them to be.

Ichigo went home with his father, and while it took a while for him to get used to it, he became comfortable there with him. Uryū continued to work with him on a weekly basis, and they began working through the trauma he’d experienced.

“I can sleep better now, but I still have the dreams,” Ichigo told Uryū as they sat in the office. It was raining outside, and his father was waiting in the front for him.

“Have they been bad enough to keep you from sleeping?” Uryū asked.

“Sometimes. It’s so hard, knowing now that it was Dr. Aizen the whole time even though I didn’t know it at the time. I don’t know what to feel about it. I just feel a bit numb; you know?”

“Are you still thinking of Shiro and Grimmjow a lot?” Uryū asked.

“Every day. I told you it wouldn’t go away, and it hasn’t.” Ichigo sighed. “I know you think it’s just because of what happened, but I still love them so much. I want to see them.”

“I know, but it’s not the best idea right now while you’re still in treatment,” Uryū told him.

“What happened to the facility?” he wondered.

“Ryūken took over as the head of it. Everyone there is doing much better. It seemed that the drugs that were being used on you were exacerbating the symptoms of everyone there. But you know I can’t talk about the other patients,” Uryū reminded him.

“Yeah, I know. I just hope they all get better, too. I feel better. The medications you prescribed are working, and other than just being anxious a lot of the time, I think I’m almost normal.”

“That’s good, Ichigo. I’m glad to hear it. No voices or visions?” Uryū checked his clipboard.

“Nothing like that. Just the nightmares sometimes. And then it’s always shadow people coming to me in the dark. Sometimes I see Dr. Aizen, but I think that’s because I know it was him, now.”

Ichigo’s nightmares were more flashbacks than anything. He would see things that had actually happened replay in vivid clarity that his mind created. He tried to do everything Uryū suggested to avoid the nightmares, but it didn’t seem to matter. He still had them. He also had the completely irrational fear that Aizen was still after him. He was in jail, so that was impossible.

“Ichigo, you alright?” Uryū asked.

“Sorry, I was just thinking about Aizen again,” he said, sighing. “I still feel like he’s going to come after me.”

“He’s in custody. Unless he can somehow make bail, he’s not going to be getting out,” Uryū assured him.

“That’s what you and my father say, but what if—”

“Ichigo, you need to focus on your own mental health and not worry so much about him,” Uryū told him, giving him a strained smile.

Ichigo sighed. “When can I see Grimmjow and Shiro again?”

“Ichigo, that’s another area you need to stop focusing on. They’re not in your life right now, and I don’t know that you’ll ever be put in contact with them again,” Uryū looked a bit annoyed at the question again.

“Okay,” Ichigo sighed, running a hand over his head. “Is that all today?”

“Yeah, your father can take you home,” Uryū said, standing up.

Ichigo nodded, standing up and heading back out to the waiting room where his father was waiting. Isshin was reading one of the magazines on the table. He looked up as Ichigo walked up.

“All done?” he asked, standing.

“For today,” Ichigo nodded. “He still won’t tell me about Shiro and Grimmjow, though,” Ichigo said with a bit of a frown.

“You know he can’t talk to you about someone else like that,” Isshin said as he led Ichigo out of the office.

“I know, but I’m not a kid. I can have relationships if I want them,” Ichigo groused as he got into the car.

“Uryū is just worried that your attachment to Grimmjow and Shiro is related to your trauma,” Isshin said as he got in and started the car.

“I can separate my trauma from my love interests,” Ichigo huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m twenty-eight years old. I’m properly medicated and able to take care of myself now that everything has settled down to normal.”

Isshin sighed, “I know, son, I know. But you have to understand, Shiro and Grimmjow can’t really get involved with a patient. That isn’t ethical.”

“I don’t care.”

Isshin sighed but didn’t respond and Ichigo was quiet the rest of the way home. Ichigo knew his father, and everyone, really, only wanted the best for him. But he knew what he felt, and he knew what he wanted more than anything. He just didn’t know for sure if he’d ever even see Shiro or Grimmjow again. He didn’t even know if they were at the Center still working, and it wasn’t like he could go there to find out. He looked up as they pulled into the garage. He would find them again, he thought to himself. One way or another.

-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-

“Yammy turned on me,” Aizen said to the blond man that sat across from him. His name was Jugram Haschwalth and he was acting as Aizen’s lawyer. Jugram had been sent by the man who had employed him.

“His testimony is going to be hard to counter,” Jugram said, nodding. “But we can discredit him. He’s got a history of violent, abusive behavior toward patients. We may even be able to shift the rape charge to him,” he said.

Aizen frowned. “That would be my word against him. Ichigo’s memory is hazy and he was blindfolded or drugged up every time. He’s useless for their case. And there was no evidence left behind so they can’t use that against me.”

“We’ve arranged bail,” Jugram said, standing. “You should be released by tomorrow. We’d like you to continue your work, but that will entail reacquiring a test subject.”

Aizen looked at him for a minute, then smiled. “I know where I can get one.”

“We’re willing to help with acquisition,” Jugram said. “If you’ll excuse me, Mr. Yhwach is expecting my report on this meeting. We’ll be here to pick you up tomorrow afternoon.”

Jugram left and Aizen was taken back to his cell. Once there, Aizen considered his options. He knew that the work he had done in the Center was important for Yhwach, so it was no wonder he wanted to help him get out of jail. It would benefit him greatly to see the fruits of that labor.

The next day, as promised, he was allowed to leave, and a car had been sent for him. He wondered exactly what Yhwach had in mind for him. It wasn’t like he could go back and work as a psychiatrist anymore. He would have to concentrate on his work with designer drugs. But he supposed he was good at that, maybe better than his psychiatric work.

He arrived at the large compound outside of Las Noches. It was in a heavily wooded area and surrounded by a high fence. Yhwach lived here with his closest men and women. He knew it was a tight knit organization that rarely reached out to anyone beyond their own, however, they needed people like Aizen that understood both drugs and psychiatric issues. He walked up to the door to find it opened as he approached. Jugram stood there.

“Dr. Aizen. Yhwach will see you immediately,” he said and gestured for Aizen to follow him.

Aizen walked through the opulent looking building, noting that it was full of expensive-looking art pieces and statuary. They headed toward the stairs leading up to the second floor and followed them up to the first door along the left side. Jugram opened it and let him in. Yhwach was sitting behind the desk, and there were a couple other people in the room who looked up when Aizen entered.

“Yhwach, sir, here’s Dr. Aizen,” Jugram said.

“Yes, sit down, Sōsuke. Welcome to my home. I hope you are better now that you are no longer incarcerated,” Yhwach said, gesturing to the seat across from him.

Aizen sat down. “Yes, the lodging here is much better. I’m assuming that you want my full attention on the project.”

“Indeed. Bambietta, you’ll show our guest to one of the rooms and then escort him down to the basement lab. Now, as far as a test subject, you wish to acquire a specific one or have you one in mind?” Yhwach said, tapping his pen on the desk.

“I’d rather have my previous test subject back. He was rather perfect to perform the tests on, with his history of hallucinations. And, I admit, I did have my own fun while I had access to him,” Aizen smirked.

“Ah, I see. Well, as long as it doesn’t affect the test results, I don’t care what you do with the test subjects. There’s a cell in the basement that is set up for someone to be kept in during tests. You may make use of it. Now, I’ll let Bambietta show you to your room.”

A dark-haired woman with a white hat came over and nodded at him. “Follow me,” she said and led him away.

-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-

Ichigo sat in his room as it got dark. He’d had a busy day, but he wasn’t tired. A couple months had passed since he left Las Noches Psychiatric Rehabilitation Center. Things had only improved since then. He’d gotten used to living with his father, even if it was weird not being in the Center anymore. He was on a good medication regime, and everything seemed to be working out.

Still, though, he worried. He’d been told Dr. Aizen was released on bail and then disappeared. No one knew where he’d gone, and Ichigo knew he’d come for him. His father and Uryū told him he was being ridiculous, that there was no reason for Aizen to come for him again, but he had trouble believing that. He stared out the window and wondered if it was just a delusion again.

Something moved out the window. Ichigo blinked, not sure he’d seen it. It looked like something flashed. He turned toward the window and watched, seeing it again. What was that? There shouldn’t be anything flashing outside right now, he thought. He got up and went to the window, curious as to what it could possibly be. He slowly opened the window, seeing the flash again.

“Hello?” he called, wondering if someone was hurt or something. “Is anyone out there?”

The next sensation he had was falling as someone grabbed him and pulled him through the window out into the yard. He gasped, too surprised to say anything. He tried to get up, but someone was covering his mouth with their hand and he felt someone zip-tie his hands together behind him. There was a pinch in his leg as someone injected something into him. He struggled against them for a few more minutes until whatever it was took effect and the blackness consumed him.

He woke slowly, recognizing the feeling of having been drugged easily. He blinked heavy eyelids and looked around to find himself in a small room on a cot of some sort. He sat up slowly and looked around. There was a toilet and a sink in here, and the bed. It almost looked like a jail cell without bars. He saw there was one door and he could see a camera mounted in the corner of the room. Beside the door there was a speaker.

“Hello, Ichigo,” came a familiar voice through the speaker.

“What?” he gasped. “Dr. Aizen?”

“Yes, you do remember me, do you?”

“W-what’s going on here? What’s happening?” he asked, getting to his feet.

“My work wasn’t done yet. So, you’ve been brought here to me so I can continue the testing I started. You made an excellent test subject, and I so enjoyed our time together,” Aizen said.

Ichigo shook his head. “No, you can’t do this!”

“I already have. And no one is going to believe that anything happened to you with your history of running away. They’ll all believe you’ve just run off again, and no one will come find you,” he said.

Ichigo dropped back down on the cot. He couldn’t believe this. After everything, he was back at the beginning. He wouldn’t have his medications. The hallucinations and delusions would return. And he wouldn’t know fiction from reality. All the while, Aizen would be testing some sort of drug on him and watching him. No one would come find him.

He was alone.


End file.
